The word Television is from the ancient Greek word “tèle” means “far” and the Latin word “visio” means “sight”. Television is a device or a form of technology that receives and transmits moving images or otherwise known as “movies” that are sometimes monochrome or black and white and at other times in full color.

The moving images that it receives from a nearby broadcasting station is projected in three dimensions by the cathode ray tube or “CRT” and it also has an audio decoder to reproduce the sounds from the transmitted radio signals through the audio speakers. It is mainly used for entertainment, information and education. It is also referred to as a television set, television transmission or television program.

Unlike the internet where it is still struggling to compete with TV even nearing the completion of its third decade since it was made for public use; TV took over print media and radio broadcasting overnight! The world quickly catch on and before we knew it, TV had become a global phenomenon. Today there are approximately 4.7 billion units of television throughout the world and they range from the old cathode ray tubes to the flat LCD and plasma screens and all the way up to the latest LED curved TVs. In fact, there are more TV sets than computers in the world today and it seems computers and the internet has yet to surpass TV’s dominance in the mainstream media world.

Here are some of the latest innovations on television today:

The various innovations that companies have developed today makes television almost unrecognizable except for developers and providers adding the suffix “TV” at each new idea that they conceived. Apparently it’s no longer just about a broadcasting station and the box with moving pictures in it! In order to understand what these innovations are allow me to break it down to you in bite sizes. TV nowadays could be…

1) 3DTV – is a semi-total immersion television system that uses multiple techniques such as multi-view display, stereoscopic display, 2D-plus-depth, and other forms of 3D display which makes the object on the TV screen appear to have dept and form just like real objects are. In other words it makes viewing movies on a 3DTV seem realistic! It is one notch below holograms as you will need a specially-designed 3D glasses in order to see the images projected from this type of TV set. The benefits of having a 3DTV is that it makes learning more fun for kids who wants to learn about space and the universe or what’s in our oceans at the comfort of their living rooms. Watching movies that are heavily incorporated with CGI (computer generated imaging) takes you right in the middle of it, which is a completely different experience than just watching the same movie from an ordinary TV. One way 3D images are produced is by offsetting the images and separating them to each eye (left and right), then use passive color filters and a light source to project the image in a singularity all the while the 3D glasses help solidify the images from the viewer’s perspective.

2) Cable TV – CATV or cable television is a system that delivers TV programs through the use of coaxial or fiber-optic cables. Those who wish to subscribe to TV programs offered by CATV companies has to pay for them and that’s why cable television has been a major success back in the 1980’s and 1990’s. The benefits of subscribing to a cable TV network is that you’ll have hundreds of channels and vast TV programs to watch all day everyday; while the disadvantage is that due to the fact that TV shows and movies are sometimes played more than 3 times a day, you will get bored eventually. The take-away is that when you have a busy schedule and you absolutely need to catch up with the episodes of your favorite TV shows or when there’s some very interesting shows that you need to take down notes from.

3) HDTV – or otherwise known as high definition TV or hi-def TV is a modern innovation that came out in the latter years of the first decade of the new millennium. HDTVs has a resolution display between 720p – 1080p which is basically 0.92 megapixels to 2.07 megapixels and that’s like more than 5 times normal! In February 2008 the FCC ordered all TV broadcasting frequency in the United States be set to high definition standards, because the federal government will use all the lower bandwidths exclusively. Perhaps the best benefit that HDTV brings is that you won’t ever have fuzzy signals again.

4) Smart TV – is a cross-between TV and internet as it has the attributes of both. Examples of Smart TV include Apple TV, Amazon TV, Google TV, MeeGo, Plex, Roku, Samsung, TiVo and more! Companies that offer Smart TV programming requires users to buy a set-top-box which is some sort of a receiver (much like cable and satellite TV systems) where you can get exclusive access to paid TV programs. Besides gaining access to TV programs you can also get games, internet access and special offers through the Smart TV vendor which is even better than ordinary TV.

5) Satellite TV – it’s almost very similar to cable TV except for 2 things: a) network coverage can extend beyond the US, and b) providers always broadcast in HD bandwidth which is very desirable for subscribers. TV programs may or may not be the same as cable TV providers offers and severe weather conditions can disrupt satellite broadcast which is an obvious weakness for satellite TVs. Satellite TV providers also offer a bundled service that includes TV, internet and telephone service.

6) Internet TV – is also called Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) where mainstream media TV and alternative TV programs are converted into digital signals and are offered for either free or paid subscription over the internet through video streaming technology. Advantages of internet TV is that you can access it from your desktop home computer, your laptop computer, your tablet computer and even your smartphone. And what’s not to like about mobile TV watching your favorite shows while you’re on the go? Absolutely nothing! Another thing that you may like about internet TV is that you can participate in their forum discussions in real time as a fan and sometimes even interact with the stars and other people involved in creating and developing these shows.

7) PPTV – another emerging digital television is known as peer-to-peer television or PPTV. It is very popular in Asia, particularly in China, Korea, Thailand and other nearby countries – this is because the technology was developed in Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China. For now the system is mostly compatible with Microsoft’s Windows OS (operating system) and you can watch TV shows, movies, sports, news and other special coverages right off of the browser. If it will be marketed worldwide, then we may see it soon on other platforms.

Other possible future TV innovations include holographic imaging and virtual reality TV although it may take years for us to see it into fruition as the marketing aspect of these innovations is such a huge obstacle to get around with. Still, the number of innovations that has so far been developed are leaps compared to what we had just a decade ago which are very impressive. Whatever your preference is you can be sure that you will absolutely enjoy these wonderful new innovations for TV.

Are you into romance? How about erotica? If you want both then I’ll definitely recommend that you watch Fifty Shades of Grey (of the same book title) this upcoming February 13, 2015. Fifty Shades of Grey is originally a trilogy book that was written by E.L. James on 2011. The story is really not for children cause believe me, it’s a Rated M. The date is really something too. A day before Valentines, how perfect for lovers to have a movie date.

So the trailer was released and I gotta say that was… HOT! The director Sam Taylor-Johnson really outdid herself and even the script that was done by Kelly Marcel is as titillating as the book itself. You know how people are when a book is made into a movie; they really anticipate how the movie is going to be and are sometimes very critical about it too! Is it going to be exactly like what was written in the book? Are they going to add some scenes in the screenplay? Will they make a twist that causes the whole film to be a watered down version of an excellent book? Or worse, abandon the whole book and make an entirely new storyline leaving only the book’s original characters or maybe even add one or more of their own characters?

These are often the things that goes through in the minds of faithful fans and enthusiasts.
The plot revolves around Anastasia “Ana” Steele (Dakota Johnson) and Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) and how they seem to be attracted to one another, but while they do indulged on their attraction for one another it doesn’t mean that they are together. Anastasia is a literature student who writes for their school paper with her roommate/best friend Kate Kavanagh (Eloise Mumford) . Kate was assigned to interview Christian Grey but due to an illness, she asked Anastasia to replace her and that is how they met. Anastasia instantly became attracted to Christian despite the guy being aloof and reserve and Christian also became attracted to her due to her beauty, innocence and independent spirit. As their ‘relationship’ goes, Ana discovered things about Christian that while he is successful, has a loving family, has lots of money, he still wants to be dominant about everything. He also ignited the desire in her body that even she herself didn’t know about.

Still not hooked? Well this is not your ordinary storyline because they do not do the whole simple make love/sex. If you haven’t read the book yet, then I suggest that you skip that and wait until the movie will come out, because c’mon most people don’t have the time to read 500-pages thick novels! But if you have watched the trailer, then you can see that there is this specific room that Christian showed to Anastasia and you can already guess that it’s BDSM. Yep kinky stuff, didn’t suspect that did you?

This is really one of the most anticipated movies in 2015! Not only will there be budding romance but there are also some deep emotions mixed into it. It can also be an eye opener to others because not all those who have everything they got are always happy. Not all things can be bought by money but rather it’s you who will have to find what your happiness is.
Set the date and don’t miss to watch Fifty Shades of Grey.

Latest TV searches:

While 2014 is over and 2015 is moving forward, there is no better time to look forward to the big films and TV shows on the horizon next year. Jurassic World, Star Wars Episode VII, Spectre (Bond 24), Avengers: Age of Ultron and Mad Max: Fury Road are just a few films set for release. As for TV, the return of some of 2014’s biggest shows are coming back, Game of Thrones, Walking Dead and Gotham are just some of the shows returning, as well as some brand new shows.

Jurassic World is set to be one of the most hotly anticipated films of the year, arriving over 20 years since the original was released back in 1993. Playing the lead role of Owen is Chris Pratt, who has had a huge year for himself in 2014.

The latest in the the American methods of ‘copy a British TV format and adapt for an American audience’, one which networks presumably dub ‘Operation: Cannot Possibly Fail’, producers may have stumbled onto something that might not actually fail, copying a format that can be quite easily transplanted for a solid schedule-filler.

That format, surprisingly untouched by American networks to date, is prime-time variety show Saturday Night Takeaway, in the UK the most notable work of English presenting duo Ant & Dec.

The entertainment series, over two different runs on ITV, has been on-air for 11 seasons and a recent arena tour since first appearing in 2002, and will continue on early next year with its 12th run, whilst across the Atlantic in New York City, NBC will be developing their own version to air to American audiences.

Whilst it is claimed that NBC will neither have the words Ant & Dec’s or Saturday Night Takeaway in their show, nor will they be airing on Saturdays (and presumably not having much affiliation with where the ‘takeaway’ part of the title got its name), it will most likely be airing at night, with actor Neil Patrick Harris set to add to his post-Oscars presenting schedule by bringing the new format to NBC viewers.

The deal between ITV and NBC is initially said to be for a total of 10 hour-long episodes for a cost of $2.5m (£1.55m), meaning longer seasons than in the UK, though the original runs have a little longer when it comes to runtime each week.

Speaking of his latest presenting task, Harris claimed that “couldn’t stop smiling” when watching Ant & Dec’s version of Saturday Night Takeaway, as he stated of the format: “It’s a game changer. Nothing like this has been done before, and its unique structure fits right into my random skill set. I can’t wait to roll up my sleeves and have some fun!”

While he may not have a buddy to work with on-stage, Harris will hope that his ‘random skillset’ can come to the fore for the End of the Show Show segment. Does he have any old attempts at a music career that can be reprised in a blaze of glory?

Marking a step closer in their goals to getting a complete ‘entertainment hub’, the Xbox One games console is planning to add the food to their product’s experience by way of an app with a direct line to your nearest Domino’s Pizza outlet.

The upcoming service, currently rumoured but likely to be confirmed in the near future (and a planned official release next month), will see Xbox One owners able to connect to the app and order from the well-known brand without so much as having to get up from their seat, with direct orders from the consoles set to become an option, according to The Sunday Times.

Taking advantage of the Kinect motion/voice control features, users are set to be able to trigger the service through physical gestures outlined on the app, or by saying out loud the phrase “Domino’s, feed me”. Who said society was getting lazy?

After placing the order through what will presumably be a create-a-pizza minigame, those particularly impatient for their delivery (which is sent to the nearest outlet then fulfilled as normal provided the requirements are met), will have an option to follow the progress of their pizza through on-screen tracking system letting them know what stage the process is at.

Though the San Diego Comic Con event, has been, and probably will continue to be, the entertainment industry’s biggest week of the year regarding news generated on networks and shows (amongst other forms of entertainment), it seems as though they could have a little competition to contend with, after a fellow ‘Con Calendar’ event in New York City surpassed it in 2014 attendance figures.

The New York Comic Con, which last year matched San Diego’s effort at around 130,000 visitors, this time around went over the top with a record-breaking 151,000 unique tickets sold by organisers ReedPOP for the convention held in the Jakob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan, making it the largest fan convention to have ever been held in North America.

The San Diego Comic-Con International, seen as the prestige event of its kind around the world, is one which is limited to the 130,000 mark due to the lack of hall space, with previous expansion plans falling through, and leaving the organisers of Comic-Con International to consider relocating the annual gathering of fans, creators and stars elsewhere, with Los Angeles the prime candidate should this occur.

Having the timeframe and the climate to perhaps be more appealing, San Diego’s version looks set to remain on top regardless of whether they move slightly north (something which would be even more appealing to content creators around Hollywood), but with plenty of appeal of its own, believed to be partly down to ReedPop listing the Thursday of the event a full day rather than partial to increase ticket sales, will NYCC have forced the hand of their rival event to make a change?

One that could leave fans of geek/pop culture having to travel a few hours more/less for their chance to cosplay or experience their favourite content with other fans the same way, just in a larger building and better-known city…